Patrick Cote: “First time I hit Cung Le he will know he’s in big trouble.”

Middleweight Patrick Cote was confident in the likelihood of being re-signed by the UFC after being released by the organization in late 2010 and subsequently stringing together wins a quartet of consecutive clashes. However, rather than worry about protecting his spot on the roster, the 32-year old Cote is excited to have an opportunity to make his comeback on such a grand stage and against such a worthwhile adversary.

The 16-7 Cote faces Cung Le on Saturday evening at UFC 148. It’s a bout Cote expects to be a Fight of the Night contender once the smoke has cleared thanks to each having a fan-friendly preference to strike rather than focus on grappling.

“I’m really happy to be back in the UFC, especially in big fight like that,” revealed Cote in an interview with LowKick. “This fight is going to be spectacular. We are both southpaw, so there’s going to be a lot of power-punching involved. I have my hands full on my first fight back with the UFC, but that’s exactly what I wanted. I’m ready to put up a show for the fans, and win this fight.”

In terms of analyzing his upcoming opponent, Cote made it clear he’s looking to keep Le thinking rather than letting the San Shou expert to sit back and find his range.

“Cung Le is a good striker, and he’s very agile with his legs. I have to make sure that I fight my fight. You can’t let someone like Cung Le to control the fight. I think the best thing for me is to put a lot of pressure and to be in his face all the time. That’s my plan,” said Cote, adding, “If this fight is going to a decision, trust me – we’re both going to be a mess. We are going to stay in front of each other, trust me. First time I hit Cung Le he will know he’s in big trouble.”

Cote-Le is part of the UFC 148 PPV with things firing up this weekend at 10:00 PM EST.

People obviously disagree, but Le’s style is just not gas-tank friendly. I don’t think Le has a bad chin or anything, but Cote is has a tough melon; there’s a reason people have opted to grapplefuck their wins over him.